Everything we know about Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth

The early 2000s were a big time for Lord of the Rings games, with publisher Electronic Arts releasing gems like the Battle for Middle Earth strategy series. Now, EA is getting back into LOTR with Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth, its first game in the franchise in more than 10 years. The publisher hasn’t released too much information on its recently announced LOTR title yet, but its reveal included enough to make the project look promising.

When is the Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth release date?

EA hasn’t announced a release date for Heroes of Middle-earth yet. The game’s announcement does say beta testing is expected to start in summer 2022, but there’s no telling how long the beta will last or how close to launch it is.

Is there a Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth trailer?

Not yet. Heroes of Middle-earth’s announcement was light on details and didn’t include any trailers or screenshots. The only piece of art that’s been released so far is a concept sketch announcing EA’s partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises, which controls licensing rights to Lord of the Rings.

What platforms will Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth be available for?

Heroes of Middle-earth will be available exclusively on mobile platforms as a free-to-play game. The game’s announcement also notes that an internet connection will be required to play.

Who is developing Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth?

Development on Heroes of Middle-earth is being handled by Capital Games, an in-house studio under the EA umbrella. Capital Games currently runs Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, making Heroes of Middle-earth its second ongoing free-to-play mobile game.

What is Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth’s gameplay like?

EA didn’t go into too many specifics about the gameplay in Heroes of Middle-earth, but the information we do have paints a pretty full picture. EA refers to Heroes of Middle-earth as a “collectible RPG” — a gacha game, in other words. As such, players can expect to build a roster of Lord of the Rings characters by spending in-game resources for random rewards.

Once you have your team together, you’ll use them in turn-based RPG combat. According to EA Heroes of Middle-earth will be a “strategic, social-competitive experience,” so player-versus-player battles are likely to be a large part of the game.

Capital Games’ Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes may serve as a useful template if you’re wondering how that all adds up. Like Heroes of Middle-earth, Galaxy of Heroes features gacha collection mechanics to create a team of Star Wars heroes, who you can then use in turn-based battles. Galaxy of Heroes is a fairly well-reviewed game, though players have complaints about its monetization, particularly the difficulty of playing competitively without spending money.

What is the story of Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth?

Rather than follow the plot of the established Lord of the Rings canon, Heroes of Middle-earth will tell a new story “solely inspired by Middle-earth as described in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien.” That means characters and events familiar to fans of the Lord of the Rings movies may appear in a somewhat different form in Heroes of Middle-earth. EA specifically mentions both the Lord of the Rings book trilogy and The Hobbit as sources of lore and characters for Heroes of Middle-earth.